


How To Bring Your Girlfriend to a Post-Apocalyptic Prom: A Guide by Ellie Williams

by nathans_tales



Category: The Last of Us, The Last of Us Part II - Fandom
Genre: Canon LGBTQ Character, Canon LGBTQ Female Character, Canon-Typical Violence, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff, Prom, Promposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:21:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23850724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nathans_tales/pseuds/nathans_tales
Summary: Dina laughed. “What, too cool to call it a prom?” Ellie playfully elbowed her in the ribs. “Have you been dreaming of some strapping young lad to come sweep you away and ask you to go?”Ellie made a disgusted noise and grimaced. “Yeah right, I’d sooner go with Joel.”“Well I think Joel would look rather dashing in a nice tux.”Ellie chuckled, “Sure, but you’d have to find one first.”“And then you’d have to wrestle him into it,” Dina finished with a smile. “Anyways,” she continued, wrapping an arm around Ellie’s waste and leaning in to place a kiss on her cheek, “I’ll have such a cute date.”A light dusting of pink snuck its way across the bridge of Ellie’s nose. “Is this you asking me to go with you?”“Oh, absolutely not,” Dina quickly asserted. “If I was asking you, you’d know it.”--A fic in which Jackson throws a prom for its youths and Ellie gay panics about how to ask her girlfriend.
Relationships: Dina/Ellie (The Last of Us), Ellie & Joel (The Last of Us)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 164





	1. Old Customs Are Weird

There were many customs from the old world that Ellie had never understood. Not eating even with food always readily available to you in the hopes of being skinny, or getting so drunk you can’t walk, let alone protect yourself if needed… those were only some examples of the behaviors Joel talked about from before the outbreak that she had always thought to be strange.

A custom she definitely didn’t understand about the old world was how intense teenagers used to get when it was time for some big dance their schools would throw for them at the end of the school year. If she remembers correctly from the town meeting that morning, she thinks it was called a prom.

With her only school experience being a military boarding school where she trained to kill infected and Fireflies, even the concept of a school-sponsored dance was foreign to her. Maria had proposed the idea of hosting a prom for the teens and young adults of Jackson at the monthly town meeting, and the older folks reminisced about their prom experiences and how they had done their very best to impress (and perhaps embarrass) their hopeful prom dates with what they called a ‘promposal’. Ellie thought the whole thing sounded crazy; who had the time to care about something like that?

Dina had laughed in her wonderful, lilting way at the stories everyone shared, and gushed at the idea of attending the prom. Although the prom wouldn’t be for another two weeks, she had already been planning where to find or make a nice dress for the occasion when she kissed Ellie goodbye and headed out for the patrol she was signed up for.

Although she didn’t feel the same excitement others seemed to have about the event, Ellie couldn’t deny the fluttering she felt in her chest when she thought of walking in to a town-wide dance with Dina on her arm. Their relationship was still new, it only now being a few months since the night they first kissed. Every day Ellie spent with Dina since had been more amazing than she had imagined. Being Dina’s best friend was already something Ellie cherished, but she had been crushing on her for a long time and to finally be _with_ Dina still seemed like a dream she would eventually wake from. Maybe she could give this whole prom thing a chance if it meant a special night with Dina.

By the time the sun was beginning its descent from the sky, Ellie had already completed her patrolling duties for the day. Luckily it hadn’t been a particularly exciting shift; they had only spotted and taken out a couple clickers and one runner on the outskirts of the perimeter. She was now seated on the front porch of the house she shared with Joel, plucking the cold steel strings of her guitar as she pondered the details of this unfamiliar event.

If she was going to do this, she would need to figure out the best way to ask Dina to go with her; from what Joel, Tommy, and Maria had said it seemed that boys were usually the ones to ‘prompose’, but since that dynamic didn’t apply to her and Dina’s relationship, she figured she would just be the one to fill that role. Although the older members of the town had all made the act of asking someone to prom out to be this big public event, Ellie didn’t really feel comfortable with that. She could appreciate the flare of it all, but she thought it might be nice to approach it on a more personal level.

Ellie was disrupted from these thoughts by the sound of boots connecting with the rough wood of the porch. She looked over to see her girlfriend ascending the few steps at the base of the porch, a sweet but tired smile on her face.

“Hey,” Ellie greeted, placing her guitar down beside her to make more room on the bench for Dina.

“Hey, gorgeous,” Dina replied as she took a seat beside Ellie, “you don’t have to stop playing on my account.”

“I wasn’t really playing much anyways. Lost focus thinking about other stuff.”

“Oh? Like what?” Dina asked, lightly bumping her shoulder against the other girl’s.

Ellie almost hesitated, feeling slightly embarrassed to admit that she’d been thinking about the upcoming prom. “Just that weird dance thing they mentioned this morning, I don’t know.”

Dina laughed. “What, too cool to call it a prom?” She laughed again, bright and clear, when Ellie playfully elbowed her in the ribs. “Have you been dreaming of some strapping young lad to come sweep you away and ask you to go?” she teased in a faux breathy voice.

Ellie made a disgusted noise and grimaced. “Yeah right, I’d sooner go with Joel.”

“Well I think Joel would look rather dashing in a nice tux.”

Ellie chuckled, “Sure, but you’d have to find one first.”

“And then you’d have to wrestle him into it,” Dina finished with a smile. “I’m honestly pretty excited, I think it’ll be a nice change of pace. We need something fun to break up the cycle of work, patrol, sleep, repeat. Plus,” she continued, wrapping an arm around Ellie’s waste and leaning in to place a kiss on her cheek, “I’ll have such a cute date.”

A light dusting of pink snuck its way across the bridge of Ellie’s nose. “Is this you asking me to go with you?”

“Oh, absolutely not,” Dina quickly asserted. “If I was asking you, you’d know it.” She winked and stood up from the bench. “I have to head home for dinner—dad insisted I eat there for once—but I might come spend the night?”

Ellie nodded and smiled sheepishly, still flustered at the thought of Dina spending the night with her. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

Dina gave her another dazzling smile before leaning down and lifting Ellie’s chin up to give her a lingering kiss. She turned and headed off towards her own house, leaving Ellie dazed by the kiss and hoping the next few hours before her girlfriend’s return passed quickly.

* * *

The sound of sizzling vegetables and aromatic scent of garlic permeated the small kitchen and living room of the house as Joel prepared dinner. One of the many ways their lives had changed since settling down in Jackson was that they almost never had to worry about where their next meal was coming from.

Only occasionally did they run into issue with their food source; in the winter months, if the crops hadn’t been particularly successful the summer before, fresh produce could become a bit scarcer for the residents. One year, right before they were ready for slaughter, one of the compound’s pigs got bitten by infected and the wound wasn’t noticed until the next morning. The entire group had to be put down and burned. That was a particularly difficult year.

Yet, even with such issues, Ellie and Joel hadn’t needed to scavenge for food or go hungry in over 5 years and they were always grateful.

As Joel tended to cooking, Ellie sat at the counter flipping through one of the many comic books she had collected over the years. She tried to focus on the characters battling on the deck of their starship, but her mind kept wandering. Just as Joel began plating their meal, Ellie huffed in annoyance and closed the comic.

Joel looked at his daughter quizzically. “Somethin’ on your mind, kiddo?”

Ellie put her head in her hands and grumbled. “No, it’s nothing.”

Joel finished dumping the freshly sautéed vegetables and meat onto their plates, not one to push an issue.

“Well,” Ellie started again, “I can’t stop thinking about this whole prom thing.” She grabbed the two plates and set them on their modest dining table, along with silverware, glasses and a pitcher of water. “Everyone seems so excited and yeah I think it could be fun, but like, I’m not even a super big fan of dances.”

Joel didn’t comment, but quietly put his hand on Ellie’s shoulder and squeezed. He knew why she didn’t really enjoy dancing; not long after they had settled into Jackson, Ellie had told him more details of the day that she was bitten. It had been the last thing she and her friend had been doing before the infected got to them.

“Are you thinkin’ ‘bout the fact that everybody is excited, or how Dina is excited,” he asked before taking a healthy bite of vegetables.

“Shut up, old man!” Ellie shot back, playfully punching Joel on the shoulder. “But yeah. She’s really into it and honestly, the idea of going with her seems… really nice.” Ellie’s face began to flush slightly despite herself. She still felt a little weird talking to Joel about her relationship with Dina. It’s not that she felt judged by him, because she knew that he was happy as long as she was, but that kind of vulnerability just didn’t always come easily.

“Well are ya thinkin’ of askin’ her to go? I think she’d probably say yes,” Joel inquired. “The two a’ you seem to be gettin’ along pretty nicely.”

Ellie laughed into her glass as she took a sip. “Yeah, I guess you could say that.” She pushed a piece of cauliflower around her plate contemplatively. “I feel like she wants me to ask her, but I’m not sure how I would. From what people were saying, it seems like asking someone to prom has to be this huge thing that everyone witnesses. I don’t think I wanna do that.”

Joel took his time to finish chewing the bite he had taken, and took a long drink as though he was considering his next words carefully. “Ya wanna know how I asked Sarah’s mama to prom?”

Ellie had to work very hard to not choke on the piece of cauliflower. Joel still only occasionally spoke about Sarah, and he had never really spoken about her mother. She nodded eagerly.

“Now, you gotta promise not to laugh,” Joel said in a tone that would have sounded stern had Ellie not known better. Ellie, still with a mouth full of vegetables, gave a salute as if to say ‘yes, sir!’.

“Well, you remember when we were at that university and I told ya how I’d wanted to be a singer?”

“Yeah, and you refused to sing for me like a big chicken,” Ellie jested. Joel gave her a look and began to make as though he was getting up. “Sorry, sorry! I’ll shut up.”

He sat back down and continued. “Her name, ah, her name was Holly and I’d been sweet on her for a while. It was our junior year and prom was comin’ up real fast, and I knew some other boys in our class had their eyes on her, so I decided to buck up and ask her first. I caught her during lunch one day, told her I had somethin’ to show her. Brought her where no one else could bother us, took out my guitar and sang her a song askin’ her to prom.”

Ellie’s eyes grew wide and she nearly shouted as she smacked him on the arm, “You sang her a song?! Holy shit Joel, that’s smooth as hell!”

Joel tried to suppress a smile. “Yeah, s’pose so. She said yes and we had one hell of a good time together at prom that year. We ended up datin’ and had Sarah about a year and a half later.” He grew quiet and focused on his plate more than usual. “The point is, you don’t gotta ask Dina in some crazy way, and you don’t gotta do it in front of a whole buncha people. You just gotta do it with heart.”

Ellie smiled brightly at Joel. “You’re so fuckin’ cheesy, old man,” she laughed. She leaned back in her chair, her mind already wandering back to Dina with Joel’s story. “Thank you.”

* * *

It was several hours later, and the house was dark save for the moonlight filtering in through the windows. Ellie laid in bed, savoring in the warmth of Dina’s body pressed against her own. Her  
arms were wrapped around Dina’s waist, her face resting against the back of her neck. She breathed deeply, enjoying the lingering scent of pine and the sweetness of her shampoo.

Just as sleep was sneaking across her mind, Ellie was startled by the voice of her lover.

“What are you going to wear?”

Ellie sleepily rubbed her eyes. “What?”

“What are you going to wear? You know, to the prom?” Dina asked again. She rolled over onto her other side so that she could see Ellie. “Are you thinking of wearing a dress, or are you too tough for that?” she lightly teased.

Ellie scoffed. “Listen, you can’t beat a good clean button up and pants. That’s just a fact.”

Dina laughed and gave Ellie a soft kiss. “You’re ridiculous.”

“Should I even put thought into an outfit when I don’t have a date yet?” Ellie asked with a smirk.

“Oookayyyyyy,” Dina replied, poking Ellie in the side. “What would you wear if you did somehow convince some poor sap to go with you?” 

“Oh, I don’t know,” Ellie sighed. “I haven’t come across many dresses, and those I have I didn’t really like. Too frilly, too bright, too decorative. Never really felt like me. It’s not like I’ve had much of a reason to wear one anyways. Not exactly the best outfit for running from infected.”

“I suppose that’s true.” Dina reached up and gently brushed her fingers along her girlfriend’s freckled cheek. “Wear what makes you feel good, baby. I know you’ll look fucking stunning in anything,” she whispered before pulling Ellie into a deep kiss.


	2. Songwriting Runs in the Family

Over the next couple days, Ellie didn’t see much of Dina. They were both busy with their respective duties, and unfortunately had been scheduled for opposite patrols. Ellie used the time to plan how she was going to ask Dina to the upcoming prom.

It was late evening, just after the last dish from dinner had been washed. Joel was settled in his usual spot on the couch in front of the TV, watching one of the many old DVD’s they had salvaged over time. Ellie sat beside him, her feet propped up on the scuffed coffee table, scribbling thoughts into her journal. The soft chatter of the movie floated through the living room; Ellie could swear Joel had watched _Raiders of the Lost Ark_ about a thousand times by this point.

She had been thinking a lot about Joel’s story and how he had asked Holly to go with him. Ellie had to admit, singing a personalized song was a pretty impressive move. So much so, that she was considering taking the idea for herself. She had learned to play the guitar pretty well at this point, having first started lessons with Joel not long after they settled down in Jackson. She didn’t think she was the most amazing singer, but she could sing well enough and enjoyed doing so. She also knew that Dina enjoyed listening to Ellie sing and play, often lounging beside Ellie while she plucked at her six-string and softly sang some tune Joel had taught her.

The only issue with asking Dina to go with her via song, was that she would then in fact have to write a song. She had experimented with songwriting, but hadn’t managed to write anything she felt particularly confident in. At best she’d get down a couple verses, maybe a good chorus and then she’d get stuck and frustrated. She felt as though her lyrics were too cheesy, too cliché, or too depressing. There was one time, while out on a patrol, that she got a nice melody going in her head and a few lyrics she thought were pretty promising, but before she could get back to the compound to write them down the patrol party got flanked by a couple of clickers and the song had slipped away while they dispatched the infected.

There was still over a week left until the dance, so luckily there was still time to plan. Yet, Ellie worried about taking too long to ask Dina to go with her. She knew it was irrational to think that if she didn’t ask quickly enough, her girlfriend would go with someone else. Even so, Ellie didn’t want Dina to think she didn’t want to go with her if she didn’t ask sometime this week. Although people in town were aware of her relationship with Dina, Ellie had decided on asking Dina privately. If she was going to sing her a song detailing her love for her, she didn’t exactly want the whole town hearing it.

She scribbled down a line and then scratched it out in annoyance, a process she had repeated several times when Joel gave her a sideways glance and paused the movie. “Yer diary givin’ you trouble, kiddo?”

Ellie huffed and closed the journal. “First off, it’s not a diary, it’s my journal. Second, yeah it really fuckin is,” she huffed and closed the journal. “I’m kind of… stealing your idea for asking Dina to the prom. The thing is, I can’t write any lyrics that don’t sound like total ass.”

Joel suppressed a smirk at the fact that Ellie liked his idea so much she’d decided to use it herself. “Hmm, well, lemme take a look at what ya got so far,” he suggested, reaching for Ellie’s journal. Ellie hesitated, holding it just out of his reach. “C’mon, maybe I can help ya out with my lyrical genius.”

Ellie laughed and handed him the journal. “Sure, old man. Sure.”

Joel scanned over the pages of scratched out lines and half-finished verses. “These aren’t half bad, Ellie. I think we got somethin’ to work with here.” He took the pen and began to adjust the words on the pages. “If we just tweak these a bit…”

The evening passed them by as the two sat together with the journal, the chilling sounds of the world beyond their walls drowned out by their attempts to find a melody and the laughter that followed.

* * *

It was now a week before the prom, and Ellie had yet to ask Dina to be her date. The two girls had seen each other several times since Ellie had finished writing the song for her, with Joel’s help. The issue was, Ellie had panicked every time she thought to grab her guitar when she was with her girlfriend. She almost couldn’t tell which scared her more at this point: facing a pack of clickers, or singing Dina that damn song.

Dina had started acting weird over the past couple of days. She’d seemed jumpy and distant. Yesterday, Ellie had gotten off patrol and had been heading back through town when she’d spotted her girlfriend talking to a group of their friends in front of the general store. She had walked over and said hello to everyone as she’d wrapped her arm around Dina’s waist. Dina had quickly stopped whatever she had been saying to the others and given Ellie a chaste kiss goodbye before making some bizarre excuse about her mom calling her to dinner and hastily escaping.

The others had also awkwardly excused themselves and shuffled away, leaving Ellie standing there uncomfortably. She had immediately begun to worry about every possible reason for their strange behaviors; she’d felt as though she must have done something wrong. Was Dina upset with her for something she’d done? Or, perhaps, something she hadn’t done… had Dina been talking to their friends about Ellie not yet having asked her to the prom? Ellie didn’t know why it would have been such an issue, she had thought it was apparent to both of them that they would be going together, it was just a formality to ask. Far be it from Ellie to understand the way other people’s minds worked.

She had resolved to buck up and finally deliver the ‘promposal’ the next night. The next morning, she’d caught Dina outside of the clinic when she was headed in to start her shift. Any of the uncomfortable vibes Ellie had received from their interaction the previous day had vanished and Dina was her usual flirtatious self. She had run up to Ellie and jumped up into her arms, wrapping her legs around her waist before pressing an excited kiss to her lips. Ellie had laughed and spun around with her girlfriend in her arms, almost forgetting what she had gone there to ask her.

“What’s up, baby?” Dina had asked once Ellie set her back down.

Trying to act as naturally as possible while her heart threatened to pound through her chest, Ellie had said, “Meet me on the hill in the back-west corner tonight, 7:00 sharp. Don’t be late,” before turning and leaving a stunned but smiling Dina on the front steps of the infirmary.

She had spent the day trying to distract herself from the task that laid before her, but that was easier said than done. She had eventually given up and practiced the song several times until the tips of her fingers ached from the harsh steel strings of her guitar. After some panicked yelling at Joel—that is, running around the house making sure she had everything she needed while she’d loudly explained to her father why she felt as though her heart was going to give out—she was finally ready.

That left her here, on the crest of a hill in the back corner of the compound, waiting for Dina. The sky had grown dark, so Ellie had set up a couple lanterns on the edges of the blanket she was sitting on. Her guitar was resting in its case beside her and she nervously thrummed her fingers on the lid of the case. From her spot on top of this hill, she had a pretty good view of the town before her. Houses were lit up all along the streets, casting a faint glow out to the edge of the wall surrounding the town. From where she sat Ellie could also see a ways out past the wall, into the dark world surrounding her small town. She felt a chill dash up her spine at the thought of that world, knowing too well what lurked out there. Settling into Jackson had been difficult at first, but with everything she and Joel had gone through in that year across the country she was indescribably grateful that they had been able to do so.

Ellie was pulled from her thoughts when she heard soft steps coming up the hill. A head of dark hair peaked over the crest of the hill before her, quickly followed by deep brown eyes and a freckled face that still made her cheeks turn warm and her heart beat fast. Ellie sat up straighter as Dina approached the blanket and took a seat beside her.

Dina leaned over and pecked a kiss to Ellie’s cheek. She took Ellie’s left wrist and held it up to look at her watch. “7:01, _oops_ ,” she said, smirking. She released Ellie’s wrist, raised an eyebrow and asked, “What’s my punishment?”

Ellie scoffed. “Please don’t tell me you were purposefully late just so you could make that joke.”

“What? No! I would never do such a thing,” Dina replied, holding her hand to her chest in mock offense.

Ellie rolled her eyes and gave a short laugh. “Right.” She was suddenly hit with a harsh wall of nerves, knowing now that Dina was here she needed to follow through with the plan. She looked away from Dina and cleared her throat awkwardly.

Sensing the sudden tension, Dina took Ellie’s hand and laced their fingers together. “So, what’d you have in mind for our night on the hill?” she asked, nudging Ellie’s shoulder with her own. It was then that she spotted the guitar case. “Oooh, am I getting a private concert?”

Ellie swallowed thickly and gave a small smile. “Uh, something like that.” She gently pulled her hand from Dina’s so she could take her guitar out of its case. She knew that if she didn’t just do it, she was going to push it off and off until they got distracted doing something else or she lost the chance to do it at all.

Ellie brought her guitar onto her lap and gave the strings a soft strum to make sure they were all in tune. She angled herself so that she was facing Dina, who leaned forward eagerly, curious and excited. “Dina,” Ellie began, “these past few months have been… you are…” she knew she was fumbling, so she decided to push ahead into the song. She paused and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. Her fingers began picking the strings, the notes drifting through the air around them. Then, she began to sing.

_When I saw your smile  
Across the room  
I just knew  
It had to be you_

_Your quick steps  
In time with the beat  
Save our asses  
From defeat_

Dina clasped her hands together and threw back her head, laughing joyfully. Ellie felt herself smile in return, continuing the song.

_You’re everything I’d fight for  
Everything I’d die for  
And undeniably  
You’re everything I’d live for_

_Oh, what would you say  
If I asked you to dance  
Oh, what would you do  
If I held out my hands_

At this point, Ellie risked a quick glance and saw that Dina had a hand over her mouth and her eyes were beginning to glisten. Although Ellie felt herself starting to choke up, she pushed onward into the final verses of the song.

_You mean the world to me  
In a world that’s fallen to shit  
I’d fight with you by my side  
Knowing we’ll never be hit_

_You’re everything I’d fight for_  
And everything I’d die for  
But most importantly  
You’re everything I’d live for 

As the lyrics faded away she finished picking the final notes, the vibration of the strings hanging in the air for a few moments more. She reached forward and took Dina’s hand in her own, then brought it up to her lips and placed a soft kiss against her knuckles. She looked directly into those deep brown eyes and asked the question she had been thinking about all week.

“Dina, will you go to prom with me?”

Dina let out a teary laugh and opened her mouth to reply, when they both heard the sound of running feet quickly approaching them. From behind Dina came four figures, who stopped just next to them. Ellie reeled back in surprise, grabbing for a weapon she didn’t have. After a moment she recognized the figures: the group of friends Dina had been talking to the previous day in front of the general store. They each held a sign, which together spelled out “P-R-O-M”. Dina’s eyes grew wide and she whipped around towards them and started to frantically wave them away, but it was too late.

Dina, cringing, slowly turned back to Ellie, her face riddled with apology and regret. Ellie still looked as though they had just been ambushed by a pack of clickers, and Dina looked like she was about to roll down the hill, her hands covering the blush of her face. Instead, she unzipped her jacket and opened it to reveal a “?” taped to her chest. “So… I guess don’t really have to ask anymore?”

For a few excruciating moments Ellie just stared at her. Then, slowly, laughter bubbled up and out of her lips before booming out across the hill. It was then Dina’s turn to be surprised, as her girlfriend sat before her, laughing to the point of losing her breath.

There was a moment when it seemed Ellie had collected herself enough to speak, but was then overtaken by another wave of giggles. Dina couldn’t help but laugh along with her at that point, breaking into her own bout of hearty laughter. Their friends stood beside them, awkwardly shuffling and uncertain as to whether they should stay or go. When Ellie finally collected herself enough to speak, she gasped out, “What the hell just happened?”

After motioning for their friends to leave, Dina smiled at her apologetically and took her hands in her own. “I’m so sorry Ellie, I had made this whole stupid plan to ask you and I’ve been obsessing over it since they first announced the prom. When you told me to be here tonight, I was so caught up in my own plan I didn’t even really think about the fact that you must have had a plan of your own. But your song blew my whole idea out of the water, if we’re being honest.”

Ellie smiled and squeezed Dina’s hands, then playfully punched her on the arm. “You scared the fucking shit outta me! I thought we were getting attacked!”

Dina chuckled and sighed. “I know, I realized as it was happening that having a group of people run up on us in the dark maybe wasn’t the best idea.”

“I’m gonna kick all their asses tomorrow,” Ellie murmured, trying to mask her sudden shyness. “So… do I still get an answer?” she asked, hesitantly bringing her eyes back to Dina’s.

Dina smirked, and without hesitation pushed forward, capturing Ellie’s mouth with her own. Just as Ellie lost herself in the kiss, Dina pulled back and whispered, “ _Yes_ ,” against her lips. “I would love nothing more than to go with you, Ellie.” She gently tucked a loose strand of auburn hair behind Ellie’s ear and asked, “So, can I get an encore?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to @AceGhostHost for writing the lyrics of Ellie's song and also the chapter titles!


	3. Breakfast Interlude

The next morning, Ellie came down the stairs and into the kitchen with an infectious smile. Dina had spent the night after they decided it was too cold to stay out on the hill any longer, and had left early that morning for a patrol. Ellie hoped that Joel hadn’t heard anything they had been… doing, but she was in such a good mood at this point that she wasn’t even as worried as she normally would have been. She couldn’t wait to share with him how asking Dina to the prom went.

The man in question was seated at the table, a dark and rich smelling cup of coffee in one hand and a time-worn book in the other. Ellie smiled at that; Joel had self-described as ‘not much of a reader’ before they moved to Jackson, but since settling in the town he had needed to find something to _do_ with all the new down time, and had gravitated towards books with surprising ease.

Ellie sunk into the seat beside him and snagged a piece of toast from his plate. As she slathered it with some of their homemade blackberry jam, Joel sighed and put down his book.

“Ya know, I was gonna eat that,” he grumbled.

“Gotta be faster next time, old timer,” Ellie quipped, setting down the butter knife. As she lifted it to her mouth to take a bite, deft fingers plucked the toast from her hand.

Joel quickly took a bite and smirked triumphantly. “What was that about bein’ faster?”

Ellie groaned and slumped in her chair. “Jooeelllll,” she whined, “now I gotta make my own breakfast.”

“It won’t kill ya,” he replied, picking his book back up to continue the chapter.

Ellie huffed and got up, making her way towards the fridge. As she cracked a couple of eggs into a hot pan, she risked a glance over at her father. He seemed relaxed and focused on his book, so she assumed she and Dina were in the clear in terms of being too loud.

After frying a couple eggs and making her own toast, Ellie sat back down beside Joel who was finishing up his coffee. He sat his mug down with a decisive thud, and fixed Ellie with a look saying _so?_

Ellie was hoping to come across as cool and collected when she told him, but her joy bubbled over and her face split into a wide grin before she nearly shouted, “She said yes! She loved the song!”

Joel grinned in return and clapped his hand on her shoulder in congratulations. “I figured she would. That girl’s so crazy for ya I think she’d’ve said yes if you’d asked with nothin’ but some flowers and a smile.”

Ellie hummed in agreement. “Wait until you hear the rest of the story though,” she said before telling Joel how the rest of the promposal had gone.

When she finished, Joel sat for a moment with a neutral expression, before breaking into loud, booming laughter. “Yer shittin’ me!” he bellowed.

“I’m not! I swear to god I thought we were getting ambushed! I nearly swung my guitar at them before I realized what was happening. Dina was so embarrassed I thought she was gonna keel over right there on the hill.”

Joel chuckled again and shook his head. “Well, I guess that’s one way to do it. Makes for an interestin’ story anyways. Good for you, kiddo.”

Ellie smiled and dug into her eggs, trying to hide the blush of happiness growing on her face.


	4. If The Shoe Fits

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to give Dina her own little time to shine, so this chapter is from her perspective! Next chapter, the story will return to Ellie's perspective.

Bird calls lilted faintly through the tree tops as Dina carefully stepped her way through the forest a couple of miles outside of Jackson. A group had been cleared for a patrol of a nearby neighborhood, and Dina had jumped at the chance to sign up. As scary as patrols could often be, she had been dying to get out into woods and really stretch her legs rather than get stuck inside the infirmary or roped into running errands for her parents.

They had returned to a neighborhood previously searched, but they usually tried to do regular checks of the surrounding areas to ensure no hostile hunters nor infected had decided to move in nearby. Dina was one of six patrol members making their way along the overgrown streets of the long since abandoned neighborhood, scanning around methodically for any potential threats.

When they reached the end of the street, they broke off into two groups of three and each entered houses on opposite sides of the street. Dina, leading her group, clutched her revolver tightly as she quietly stepped into the living room.

The living room was clear of any hostile presence, but when Dina approached the steps leading upstairs a sudden _thud_ boomed down from the floor above. She stopped short and quickly motioned for the other members of the party to do so as well. Dina angled her flashlight up the stairs to try and get a look at whatever caused the noise, but just as she did so a figure appeared at the top of the stairs and let out a guttural shriek.

As quickly as she could, Dina dropped her flashlight and raised her revolver in its place. As the runner trampled down the stairs towards the group, she unleashed 2 rounds into its head. It dropped with a sickening thump to the floor less than a foot from where Dina stood.

They all kept their guns raised and ready, hastily looking around in preparation for more infected to come running. When nothing emerged on the bottom floor, they carefully made their way up the stairs. The steps creaked beneath their feet, and Dina held her breath. If the gunshots didn’t bring more infected down on them, it was almost certain that the house was now empty, but she always erred on the side of caution.

Once they had cleared the upper floor and were confident the house was infected-free, the three of them split apart and began their search for any supplies that may have been overlooked during previous searches. Dina flipped open the cabinets in the bathroom, hoping to find anything useful for their constantly understocked infirmary.

“Holy shit!” she exclaimed when she felt behind the corner of the cabinet beneath the sink and found a small package of tampons. “Who the fuck left these here last time this place was searched? We need this!”

She tucked the package into her jacket pocket and checked the rest of the bathroom, unable to find anything else. She made her way into what appeared to be the master bedroom, an initial glance of the room telling her it had already been thoroughly ransacked for anything useful. Even so, Dina opened the closet door and started digging through the remaining clothes. There wasn’t much useful clothing beyond a lightweight flannel which she shoved into her bag, but when she knelt down to check the bottom of the closet she was surprised by what she saw.

In the corner of the closet floor was a pair of sleek black heels. Picking them up, she noticed that they appeared to be just about her size… _there’s no fucking way I’m that lucky_ , she thought. Dina pulled off her worn work boots and slid on the heels, securing the thick straps on top around her ankles. To her complete disbelief, the heels fit perfectly and were surprisingly comfortable as she strutted around the bedroom, testing their integrity.

“What am I, fuckin’ Cinderella?” Dina whispered to herself as she checked out the heels in the full-length mirror hanging on the wall. “Well, these are mine now.” She wrapped them in the flannel and tucked them into the bottom of her bag, determined to keep them safe on the return to Jackson.

“Now all I need is the rest of my outfit,” Dina muttered to herself as she got back into her work boots and continued the search for supplies.


	5. Mall Patrol

A few days later, Ellie found herself in an old shopping mall on one of their longer supply searches. They were about a two day’s journey out of Jackson by horseback, in what seemed to have been a fairly busy town before the outbreak.

Dina had wanted to come along on the search because she knew an old shopping mall would probably be her best bet for finding a decent dress for the upcoming dance. Unfortunately, everyone else seemed to have the same idea and the search party filled up quicker than expected with people hoping to find prom outfits in the old mall. Ellie had offered to keep an eye out for a dress she thought she’d like, but Dina had immediately shot that idea down.

“My date can’t know what I’m going to wear before I do!” she had insisted, dismissing Ellie’s offer. Instead, Dina had recruited their friend Meghan to search for her, trusting her to know what she would like well enough. Ellie hadn’t pressed the issue; to be honest, she was relieved to not have the responsibility. She didn’t want to be the one at fault if the dress chosen for Dina wasn’t up to her standards or didn’t go with the heels she had found. Ellie knows better than most just how intense Dina can be about things like this.

Ellie, Meghan, and a couple of other younger members had split off from the main group to search for a store that fit what they were searching for. Jesse led the other three remaining members of the group to the second floor of the mall in search of anything useful that could be salvaged. Ellie had only been able to get Jesse to agree to let them take time to search for prom outfits if they kept it under an hour and returned with at least some useful supplies.

As Ellie’s group made their way through the mall, they stayed close together and kept their weapons readied. Although the mall sounded empty and they had yet to run into any infected, they couldn’t take any risks letting their guard down. Ellie knew better. As she carefully stepped through the large mall hallways, she did her best to ignore the memories fighting their way to the front of her mind.

Towards the back of the first floor they came up to a small storefront with a sign too faded by time to be decipherable. Through the glass windows, they could see mannequins—some still standing, some knocked over—wearing dresses, button down shirts with bowties, suit jackets, and other higher end clothing. Ellie and Meghan locked eyes and nodded before each taking a side of the store entrance, their guns raised and ready. They carefully crept into the shop, scanning methodically around the large room for any signs of movement, for anything there that shouldn’t be. When nothing was found from their initial search, Ellie motioned to the other two members of their group to move in and head to the back of the store to double check where they couldn’t immediately see.

Ellie followed closely behind, and when she reached the back right corner, she slowly peaked around a shelf that reached slightly above her head. When she saw what was hidden behind it, she had to stop herself from yelling. A clicker stood less than a foot from where she was peaking around the corner, hunched over while it snorted and huffed violently. As quietly as possible, Ellie repositioned herself so that she was facing the clicker at an angle that would allow her to execute it before it could react. The others hadn’t seemed to notice its presence, and Ellie wasn’t able to get their attention without calling to them, so it was up to her to take the clicker out and pray no one made any noise before she was able to. Although it would be easier use her gun, she didn’t know if there were other infected around and the last thing they wanted was to pull a pack of infected down on themselves, especially in such an enclosed location.

Carefully, Ellie pulled out her switchblade and readied it. She had dispatched what felt like hundreds of infected at this point in her life, but it still made her nervous. Even with her immunity.

Ellie lunged at the clicker, and just before it registered her presence, she plunged her knife into its neck and forcefully pulled it across, slashing its throat wide open. It collapsed to the floor with a choked shriek, and Ellie quickly stomped its face to prevent any further noise from it.

The others, having heard the brief struggle, came around the corner to find Ellie breathing a little heavily, her knife clutched tightly in her hand and a motionless clicker at her feet.

“Holy shit, Ellie!” Meghan exclaimed before scanning over her for any sign of injury.

“I’m fine,” Ellie quickly replied. She wiped off her blade and stuck it back in her pocket. “Those fuckers don’t scare me anymore,” she lied. “Find any others in here?” she asked.

“No, not even in the changing rooms or supply closet.”

“Good. Then let’s get on with our little shopping spree, shall we?”

It didn’t take long for them to find some decent outfits in the store. Meghan had immediately doubled back to the display windows, eyeing a gown draped down one of the mannequins.

Ellie’s attention had also been taken by an outfit on one of the mannequins, but in a different section of the store. Towards the back of the store where she had taken out the clicker, there was a display of mannequins wearing dress shirts, ties, and pants. A couple of them had on suit jackets as well, and one had a patterned bowtie rather than a necktie. Ellie examined the outfits, enjoying the variation provided by the different combinations. She tried to picture herself in each of the outfits, debating between a white shirt or a colorful one, a necktie or bowtie, jacket or no jacket.

The nicest clothes she had been able to wear up until this point were never much fancier than a clean flannel with some sturdy jeans, or on one occasion a simple black button up that she was gifted from an older woman in Jackson who no longer wanted it. It was difficult to picture herself in this higher end clothing, because she had never had the need for it, nor the chance to wear it.

She tentatively grabbed a couple of shirts, a few different ties, a simple black suit jacket, some dress pants and a pair of dress shoes. She brought them back to the still semi-functional dressing rooms and pulled the curtain shut behind her.

After trying on what she had grabbed, mixing and matching to find a combination that felt best, Ellie settled on a dark forest green button up with a grey tie, a black jacket with matching black pants, and a crisp pair of dress shoes. Looking at herself in the dusty, cracked mirror, she liked the way the shirt and the tie were simple but worked together, and how the jacket framed her shoulders nicely. She looked down and admired the shoes, impressively clean for sitting in a broken down store for 25 years. Overall, Ellie felt _good_. For the first time in… well, ever, she thought she actually looked impressive. Of course, she loved her flannels and basic but reliable clothes, but when she looked at herself dressed up like this she actually felt confident when she thought of showing up to the dance with half the town there to see.

She imagined Dina’s reaction to seeing her dressed up like this and couldn’t help the light blush that started creeping up her neck. She pictured Dina’s eyes going wide like they do when she gets excited over something, her signature grin spreading across her face and the flirtatious tone in her voice when she tells her how good she looks.

Ellie smiled to herself and turned in the mirror once more, double checking the quality of the outfit. She knew she would need someone back at Jackson to tailor the outfit, but luckily she already had someone in mind. She got back into her own clothes and carefully put the dress clothes in her backpack. She also fit in a couple more shirts and ties, wanting them for the future. At this point her backpack was almost full, and she hoped the others would have more room for the supplies they needed to bring back to the rest of the group.

When she exited the dressing room, she saw Meghan hurriedly stuffing something into her own bag. Ellie assumed it was the dress for Dina, and averted her gaze to avoid seeing it. The others had found what they needed, and their time away from the group was quickly running out, so they exited the store and started searching for anything of potential use for Jackson.


	6. The Big Night

Before they knew it, the day of the prom had arrived. Luckily for Ellie, the older woman who lived next door to them was a skilled tailor and had been able to easily remedy the slight sizing issues with Ellie’s outfit. She had also discovered a couple of tears in the pants and jacket Ellie had salvaged, but they were hardly noticeable after being patched up.  
Joel had asked about seeing the outfit ahead of time, curious to see what she had managed to find at the old mall. Ellie had denied his request, because she wanted to keep it a surprise until the actual day. She wasn’t sure why, but she was a bit nervous about showing Joel her outfit. It was far from unusual for Ellie to dress in more masculine clothing—really, it was all she ever wore. But she knew that Joel had never had the chance to experience this kind of event with Sarah, and she wasn’t sure if he had been expecting her to wear a dress for the occasion. Although the rational part of her knew he wouldn’t be disappointed, the rest of her worried.

The dance was set to start at 7:00 in the old church in the middle of town. The plan was for Ellie to go pick Dina up at her house then walk to the church together, so Ellie had to get ready a bit early. While Joel was downstairs eating dinner, Ellie was upstairs trying to not throw up from nerves.

Joel had tried his best to get her to eat dinner before going, but Ellie was already nauseous with anxiety and couldn’t stomach the idea of eating. She was excited to see Dina and have what would hopefully be an amazing night together, but for whatever reason her mind was running a million miles a minute and all she could do was worry about how the night might go wrong.

Doing her best to ignore her worries, Ellie finished tucking in her shirt to her pants and fastened her belt. She slipped on the shoes and grabbed the tie off her bed. She wasn’t actually sure how to properly tie the necktie, having done a makeshift job of it back in the mall to try it out. She was going to have to ask Joel to help her out with it. She took a deep breath and stole one more glance at herself in the mirror before grabbing her jacket and exiting her room.

Ellie tentatively descended the stairs and entered the living area where Joel was eating his dinner. He appeared to be particularly invested in his book, so Ellie had to awkwardly clear her throat to get his attention. He looked up from the page and seemed to freeze in place.

Ellie inhaled sharply and resisted the urge to run back upstairs. She held up the tie and showed it to him. “Um… I need—I need your help with this.”

Joel stared at her for another moment before coming back to himself and quickly setting down his book and fork. He went and stood in front of Ellie and carefully took the grey tie from her hand. “Right, it’s real simple…” he said before flipping up the collar on Ellie’s shirt and wrapping the tie around her neck. He gingerly looped the tie around and through, explaining the steps to her as he went. He fumbled once and muttered something to himself about 25 years and being out of practice. Ellie watched his hands intently, following along so she could do it herself next time.

When the necktie was secure, Joel stepped back with a satisfied grunt. Ellie went to say thank you, but caught the look on Joel’s face as he took in her completed outfit. His eyes had started to glisten, and his hand had found its way over to fiddle with his watch. Ellie felt her breath catch in her throat.

“Oh, baby girl,” Joel whispered. “You look amazing.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Ellie was wrapping him up in a crushing hug. They stood there for several moments, Ellie’s face buried in Joel’s broad shoulder and their arms wrapped tightly around each other. When they separated, Ellie had to wipe her own eyes to stop the wetness that had formed.

“Thanks, Joel,” she said, grinning widely. She took a breath and continued, “Okay, okay, I gotta get it together. Dina’s gonna be waiting for me, I can’t be late.”

“Hold on kiddo, just one more thing,” Joel said and grabbed a small box off the coffee table. “I got this for ya.”

Ellie took the box and opened it to find a bracelet of small woven flowers. It was beautiful, but not exactly something that would work with what she was wearing. “Wow Joel, this is lovely… but, uh…”

Joel snorted. “It’s not for you to wear, ya knucklehead. Back in my day, when parties like this were still goin’ on, it was tradition for the boys to give one of these to their date. Now, I know that’s not exactly the case here, but I figured it might be nice anyhow.”

Ellie brushed her fingers gently over the flowers before tucking the box into her jacket with a grateful smile and nod. “You know, you’d be ruined if others in town knew what a giant softy you really are.” She grabbed her jacket and slipped into it, not bothering to button it because it felt too stiff to do that. “Don’t wait up too late, I don’t know how long this thing is supposed to go.”

Joel laughed shortly. “Just don’t make too many dumb choices, alright kid?”

“I promise nothing!” Ellie answered as she opened the door and went out into the evening.

* * *

The dirt and gravel of the street crunched beneath Ellie’s shoes as she approached Dina’s house about 5 minutes later. She walked up the worn path to the front door and pulled her hand back to knock, but the door swung open before she could. Dina’s mother stood before Ellie, greeting her with a wide smile. Ellie didn’t even have time to say hello before she found herself wrapped tightly in the woman’s embrace.

“You look amazing!,” she said while crushing Ellie in her arms. Although this kind of contact normally made Ellie uncomfortable coming from anyone other than Dina or Joel, she gratefully returned the hug. In the years since she had befriended Dina, Dina’s mom had become the closest thing to a true mother figure that Ellie had in… basically ever. Her presence was a comfort different from what she got from Joel, although entirely incomparable.

She was released and brought inside while the woman continued, “Oh I’m so happy for the two of you, you can’t imagine how excited Dina has been for tonight. She had been talking endlessly about it since they announced it at the town meeting and I was just thrilled when she told us you had asked her! I mean, of course we all knew that you girls would be going together, but she was just so excited to tell us! The two of you are just so adorable, we were so happy when you finally got together.”

Just as Ellie felt her neck and face growing warm— _people had been waiting for them to start dating? Was Ellie really the only one who had been oblivious to Dina’s interest in her?_ —a man’s voice joined in.

“Honey please, let the poor girl relax a minute before Dina comes down. I’m sure she’ll talk her ear off enough tonight as it is,” Dina’s dad said as he leaned against the door frame that led into the kitchen.

Dina’s mom scoffed and was about to make a retort, but was stopped short by the sound of someone clearing their throat at the top of the stairs. All at once, the three of them turned towards the sound.

Ellie was sure she felt her heart stop.

At the top of the stairs stood Dina, and she was _magnificent_.

Her dark hair was up in a neat bun, but some strands remained loose to frame her face. She was in a deep purple dress that was cinched at the waist and fell down to her sleek black heels. Her neck was framed nicely by a delicate gold chain, surrounded by the scattering of freckles that Ellie adored.

As Dina descended the stairs she gave her a dazzling smile and Ellie suddenly wasn’t so sure she was going to survive the night. For once it wasn’t due to fear of what may go wrong, but rather because of the overwhelming love she felt for the woman before her.

“You look incredible,” Ellie breathed when Dina reached the bottom of the stairs, now within arm’s reach. She wanted to reach out and take her hand, but suddenly felt like the same nervous, uncertain teenager she’d been when they had first become friends.

Knowing Ellie well, Dina reached for her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “Thank you,” Dina replied with a warm smile. Ellie then noticed that she was looking her up and down, fully taking in her own outfit. Just as she had pictured it, Dina’s eyes subtly widened in that excited way they often did, and her smile spread across her face. Ellie felt her face grow hot in response.

“You look absolutely amazing!” She playfully twirled Ellie’s necktie, “who knew you were such a _stud_ ,” she murmured with a smirk and a wink.

Ellie scoffed playfully and rolled her eyes. She reached into her jacket and pulled out the small box Joel had given her. “I have something for you.”

Dina raised her eyebrows in question at the box held out before her. She opened it and gave a soft gasp at the sight of the flowers carefully woven together to form a bracelet. “Oh Ellie, this is so beautiful.”

Ellie took the bracelet from the box and grabbed Dina’s hand. She pressed a kiss to Dina’s knuckles before slipping the bracelet onto her wrist. “Perfect for you, then.”

For a fleeting, rare moment, Dina looked speechless. She then grabbed Ellie by the lapels of her jacket and pulled her into a kiss. “ _Thank you_ ,” she whispered against her lips.

They then heard a light sniffle coming from beside them, and Ellie’s face once again flushed red at the reminder that Dina’s parents were still standing nearby. They turned to see Dina’s mother dabbing her wet eyes with a tissue.

“Aw, mom!” Dina exclaimed.

“I’m sorry, I can’t help it!” she sniffled. “You two are just the sweetest and I never thought we would get a moment like this with you! I mean, who would have thought that after 25 years of disaster we would be in a place where we could watch our little girl go to prom? I mean, prom of all things in a world like this?” Her husband nodded beside her and wrapped an arm around her. “I only wish we could take pictures of you two before you left! The only surviving camera I had broke about 10 years ago.”

Dina’s dad smiled wistfully and shook his head. “Alright, I think they’ve had enough of us for now. They’d better get going if they actually want to make it to this thing on time.”

Taking that as her cue, Ellie held her arm out for Dina to take. As they made their way down the path to the road, Dina holding on to Ellie to avoid wobbling in her unfamiliar heels, Dina’s parents waved them off from the doorway.

When they made it down the road just enough to be out of eyesight, Dina pulled Ellie to a stop and leaned in close. Ellie looked at her, confused. “You’re just lucky my parents were there, because from the moment I saw you in this suit, I wanted nothing more than to take it off you.”

For what was not the first and surely not the last time that night, Ellie’s cheeks turned deep red and Dina laughed.

* * *

Ellie and Dina approached the church hand in hand. The old building was shining brightly against the dusk as it began its descent across the sky; twinkling lights decorated the frame of the large doorway and windows. Cheerful music could already be heard flowing from the open doors as people filtered inside.

Before they reached the stairs that led inside, Ellie felt a light squeeze against her hand as Dina gently pulled her to a stop. She turned to look at her questioningly. “What’s up?”

“I just… wanted to make sure you’re ready to go in. I know that, despite me always dragging you to them, these kinds of things can be kind of a lot for you,” Dina explained, her voice soft. Her dark eyes looked into Ellie’s, earnest and searching.

God, Ellie loved her so much. “I appreciate the concern, but I think I can handle myself at a little dance,” she replied with a smirk.

Dina scoffed and lightly slapped her on the arm. “Oh, shut up.”

Ellie smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “But for real, thank you.”

They made their way up the stairs and into the music. Bodies, dressed up in a creative array of fancy—or as close as they could come to fancy—clothes surrounded them. Ellie almost didn’t recognize her neighbors, friends, people she worked and lived with every day. Everyone looked so much cleaner, so much happier than usual.

Ellie scanned the room for any sign of their friends, hoping a spot had been saved for them wherever they were sitting. Just as she spotted Meghan with her date at a table near where the band was playing, a familiar voice emerged behind them.

“How’d she manage to drag you to this thing?” Jesse asked, a curl of laughter in his voice. Ellie and Dina turned around to face him.

“Oh, come on, you know she can’t say no to me, Jesse. Just like you never could,” Dina snarked in response. In the time since their break up and the start of Ellie and Dina’s relationship, the hurt that had formed between them had faded away into something with a much softer edge. Although Dina and Jesse didn’t exactly seek each other’s company, they could still enjoy it. Thankfully, Ellie’s friendship with Jesse hadn’t suffered too greatly; after he finally believed her when she explained that she hadn’t been ‘plotting to steal Dina from him’ (his words) and that she hadn’t even been aware that Dina reciprocated her feelings, Jesse was able to forgive, forget, and move on to the numerous other people in Jackson who wanted to sink their teeth into him.

Jesse scoffed, but a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “I always thought she had a stronger will than the average shmuck, but I guess even the great Ellie Williams can’t resist your charms. You look good, Dina,” he said, and winked. Dina rolled her eyes.

“Aw, now Jesse, let’s not be a sore loser,” Ellie joke. Well, mostly joked.

Jesse laughed. “I’m not the one who has to deal with her craziness anymore, I’m not the loser here.”

“Well, where’s your date, Mr. Winner?” Dina asked, leaning to look behind and around Jesse for any sign of a plus one.

“Oh, Quinn’s around here somewhere. Probably stuck in the drink line. But anyways, I’ll catch you guys later okay? I reserve the right to embarrass you both on the dance floor before the end of the night,” Jesse promised before wandering off into a group of party-goers eager for his attention.

“Quinn?” Dina asked, looking to see if Ellie recognized who that would be. “Do you know who she is?”

“No,” Ellie answered, just as confused. “Never met her, I guess. Must be from the group that came over last month to escape those hunters out east.”

Remembering that she had spotted Meghan over by the band, Ellie placed her hand on the small of Dina’s back and guided her over to where a couple seats had been saved for them.

Dinner passed by as they told stories and laughed with their friends, the trouble they had all gone through to ask each other to go and to find their outfits serving as surprisingly good conversation. Ellie couldn’t remember the last time she had spent this long with others—outside of Joel and Dina—just talking, laughing, and actually enjoying herself. The music felt soothing against her ears, the drinks sweet on her lips, and Dina’s hand warm in her own. Although she knew it wouldn’t last, as it never did, she wished these moments would go on, just as they were, forever.

* * *

The band, having slowed down a bit for dinner, picked back up into a quick beat. She looked at Dina, who was giving her a wicked grin, and Ellie knew she had no choice in what was about to happen. Sure enough, Dina stood and tugged at her hand, beckoning her to the dance floor. When they reached the center of the dance floor, Dina laced both of their hands together, encouraging Ellie to dance with her no matter how much she half-heartedly protested. Dina’s laughter carried over the dance floor, and Ellie found that she didn’t care about anything or anyone else in that moment. She lifted her arm and twirled Dina around before pulling her back in, letting the music wash over them as they laughed and danced.

After a few songs, the band brought the tempo back down, starting a slow tune. Dina moved in close against Ellie and reached up to place her arms over Ellie’s shoulders. Ellie moved her hands to Dina’s waist, enjoying their closeness.

As more couples moved to the dance floor, Dina whispered, “Holy shit, wait- wait turn us around and look at the other side of the dance floor.”

As inconspicuously as possible, Ellie swayed them around so she could see what had caught Dina’s attention. She looked over and saw Jesse dancing… with Quinn? Quinn Rogers, the guy in charge of night patrols? Well, that was a surprise. “Oh, shit,” Ellie whispered back to Dina as they continued to sway to the music. “I didn’t realize he meant _that_ Quinn. Good for him.”

Dina chuckled and rested her head against Ellie’s shoulder. She hummed along with the melody and Ellie could feel the soft vibrations of her voice against her neck. It sent a warm shiver through her and she tightened her arms around Dina’s waist.

Then, as they swayed to the music, Ellie noticed how many people had surrounded them on the dance floor. They were nearly in the center of the floor, dancing couples on all sides with no clear path out. At that realization Ellie felt her chest constrict, her breath suddenly caught in her throat. Her eyes desperately scanned the room, trying to find a way to go if something went wrong, if they needed to escape. How could she have let her guard down like this? She knew better, but she had fallen into a false sense of security and now they were trapped, trapped if—but then she felt the soothing warmth of Dina’s fingers caressing the back of her neck, and she came back into herself. Her vision refocused and she realized Dina was watching her, she must have felt the sudden tension coursing through her.

“Hey, baby,” Dina whispered. “You okay?”

Ellie released the breath she had been holding. “Yeah, I’m great.” She leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips. “As long as I’m with you.” Dina gave that laugh Ellie could never get enough of, the one she wanted to hear for the rest of her life. 

“You’re so fuckin’ cheesy,” Dina smiled.

“You love it.”

Dina tucked a loose strand of hair behind Ellie’s ear. “I do.”

As quickly as her fears had overtaken her, they vanished in the depth of Dina’s eyes and the warmth of their bodies pressed against each other. All that mattered in that moment was that right here, right now, they were together, they were safe, and they were happy.

And really, that was all Ellie had ever wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to @AceGhostHost and @SweetBagels for helping proofread and edit this fic, and for helping to write the lyrics of Ellie's song and chapter titles!
> 
> I hope everyone enjoyed this fic, if you did please leave a comment letting me know what you liked!
> 
> My twitter is @NatEvG and my tumblr is nathans-tales.tumblr.com, I post about TLOU pretty regularly on both.
> 
> Here's to hoping Part II gets released soon!


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